Sunday, January 12, 2014

Welcome to a recap of my lovely weekend!It all began on Friday night when I attended the end of season cross country awards ceremony. My daughter Clara ended up with quite a few awards:

She was most proud of receiving a plaque for being "Rookie of the Year." The Varsity letter, All League star, CCS and State patches are also very cool. I think I'll get her a letterman's jacket and have her various patches sewn on. I'm not sure if all of my readers knows what a letterman's jacket is, but here's a photo of a family friend wearing one:

On Saturday morning, Clara and I got up bright and early, picked up a friend and drove over the Golden Gate Bridge to visit the Guide Dogs for the Blind school in San Rafael, Ca.

Working with guide dogs is exactly the kind of job which Clara would like to have someday, so we went to check out the facility. It is an amazing place, full of the most beautiful puppies and dogs you could imagine! They have their own breeding stock and an amazing training program. We even got to see a graduation ceremony with five visually impaired people finishing their training and officially receiving their guide dogs. Clara has signed up to volunteer there this summer, and she is also considering being a "puppy raiser" next year.Saturday night I went to a pub with some girlfriends. . .

We had a lot of laughs playing "Cards Against Humanity," which is a card game of sorts. In each round, the "judge" plays a prompt card which contains a question or half-finished sentence. All the other players pick an answer from the cards in their hand. The answer cards are very snarky and often quite naughty. It's all good fun though!Sunday began with a hike:

And ended with a healthy pot of soup:

Both of these because I have started a "Take Down" weight loss program at my gym. 28 days, and I'm hoping to get lighter, re-focused on eating well, and back to being able to comfortably wear all my work clothes!A busy, but fun weekend. How was yours?

We have a family at work who regularly train Guide Dogs - my kids used to always want to pat them when we saw them in the supermarket!Congratulations to Clara and good for you taking some healthy steps in 2014!

Congrats to Clara! Letter jackets and sweaters were all the rage in the mid-west when I was growing up. Sounds like a fabulous weekend all around. Ours was lovely---two of the nicest days yet here in sunny Florida--a trip to the Everglades and more walks on the beach. It all ends today, but I hope to bottle the sunshine to take home with me. :-)

Those puppies are just adorable! I think that guide dogs are simply amazing, what a wonderful thing for your daughter to work with them! Your soup looks delicious! Good look with your programme. I decided that 2014 will definitely be the year I start going to the gym again.

Great weekend recap, Rinda! :o) I think Clara would be fantastic at raising a guide dog! My best friend in high school raised a few through 4-H. And while it was difficult for her to give them up in the end, it was very gratifying as well. I look forward to hearing more about this endeavor for Clara!

Sounds like a great weekend. Congrats to Clara on earning all those awards. John's Lions Club here in town started up a guide dog training school so we know how much effort it takes raising and training them. Good luck on your healthy program.

Sounds like it was a lovely weekend. I was getting ready to head to Anaheim, so I'm just now catching up on this past week's blog reading! :>) I think a Letter Jacket is definitely in order for all those awards.

Maria "Rinda" Ontiveros

Artist & Blogger

2016 Summertime Scavenger Hunt

The List!

1. A "wild heart" - a naturally occurring heart (like the rock above, but it doesn't have to be a rock)2. A footprint or pawprint3. A skeleton, bone or x-ray4. A book or magazine read during 20165. A porch or deck6. A camper (caravan)7. A family gathering8. A drawing, art project, artistic photograph, scrapbook page, greeting card, or art journal page created by you.9. Someone playing with, in, or around water.10. A bicycle11. Fresh produce12. A window13. The moon14. A buffet of food15. A team logo16. A map showing a trip taken during the time period17. Twins18. A supermarket cart, basket or trolley full of groceries 19. A seasonal cocktail or beverage20. Someone laughing21. A photograph of you with a newspaper or calendar page from the time period covered in the Hunt. Note: you may not use a substitute for this item.Alternatives - if you're having trouble finding any of the above, you may substitute from this list (but you may not substitute for item #21):alternative 1: a lighthousealternative 2: a baby (human or animal)